鄉飲酒禮做為明代地方教化的重要機制，每年正月、十月各舉行一次。在舉行時，除地方官在行政中心所在地舉辦之外，村里也由村里長主持召開。明太祖在建立這個制度時，在原來的敬老意涵之上，又賦予它基層法律教育和進行善惡分類的功能，然而後來這些附加功能並未持續下去。本文主要探討的，即為明代鄉飲酒禮的性質變遷，及其在運作過程中所衍出的各種新生現象，論述的重點牽涉到以下幾個面向：制度設計的原意與執行後的落差、基層組織墊錢以辦理這個典禮的問題、耆賓人選推舉與地方上各種勢力角逐榮銜的情況，與執行單位如何操縱這個典禮等。個人認為：在十五世紀以後，鄉飲酒禮已經是地方上各種勢力彼此競爭、比較和轉換社會資本的場域，甚至負責舉辦典禮的地方官、學官、生員、胥吏及衙役等，也藉由這個制度而獲得不少好處。由於不具德望的老人憑藉錢財占據賓客的席次，原來最有資格參加，且具身分地位的退休官員多不屑與其為伍，乃漸漸淡出這一場合以做為區隔。在兩個半世紀的運作過程中，這個典禮的形貌與創立者的理想漸行漸遠，後來這一典禮甚至成為官府勒索老人的工具。至此，原是敬老的典禮，反為老人帶來困擾。

The community drinking rituals, held once every first and tenth months of each year by the lunar calendar, served as an important vehicle to promote moral values to the masses during the Ming Dynasty. In addition to rituals held at the provincial, county and city levels, each village head would also hold gatherings in his village or neighborhood. The Hongwu Emperor, who established the institution of the drinking rituals, originally intended the system as a means to venerate the elders. The ritual was relied upon to educate the public in basic law and social values, but these functions were afterwards abandoned. In this article, we investigate permutations in the character of the community drinking rituals and the social impact of its transformation. The paper will touch upon the following main points: the original design of the ritual system and its fall from that lofty ideal after it was implemented; disputes within the local organizing body over issues of reimbursement; the process of electing participating elders, as well as granting honorary positions and distinguishing titles; and the exploitation of the rituals by its organizing body. It is my opinion that after the 15th century, this ritual became tantamount to a champs wherein local powers could compete for, compare and exchange social capital. Even local officials, educational officials, students, bureaucrats and yamen runners, charged with putting on the rituals, manipulated it to their own material advantage. Furthermore, disreputable yet wealthy older men relied on their monetary resources to secure seats at the gathering; as a result, over time, the most distinguished retired officials refused to take part because they were ashamed to associated with the former group. Over the two and a half centuries of its operation, the rituals became farther and farther removed from the ideals of its founder. In the end, it became reduced to a mere excuse for officials to exploit the elders of the community. As it came to this, a ritual created to venerate the elders became a source of vexation to them.